Update: It's what so many have been praying for. Jeff is back on the net with his own website, sporting the tagline 'Jeff Gerstmann is not dead'. Jeff is providing readers with a regular blog of gaming thoughts and fantastic weirdness.

Update: CNET and Gamespot have since responded to the Jeff Gerstmann situation and Gamespot have produced an hour-long Hotspot podcast on the situation and the feelings and experiences of the staff.

So it was long day at college, I return home, cold, tired, hungry and expecting to see the warm, welcoming embrace of the latest gaming news I see an entire gaming community collapsing in front of my eyes. My first thought is absolute panic, alarm bells are ringing in my head as I reel through piece after piece of blog entries and editorials expressing outrage at Gamespot or trying to reason with hundreds of angry subscribers.

I won't go any further right now in case you don't know what I'm talking about. Basically rumors began brewing today after the massive amount of Eidos advertising on the site for Kane & Lynch was removed and a video review of the game by Jeff Gerstmann was pulled. Apparently after deciding that Jeff's review of Kane & Lynch scored the game too low (6.0- Fair) Eidos became angry with CNET and pressured them to remove Jeff from staff. Although a certain number are now unaware of this at 7:12 AM EST the rumor stopped being a rumor as Gerstmann confirmed that he'd been fired but could not discuss the legal reasons why.

This is truely a horrible set of circumstances, Jeff was a great gamer, a friendly guy and ridiculously funny which altogether made him undoubtedly Gamespots favourite editor and although Jeff seems to be optimistic about the whole thing, this is one of the sadest days on Gamespot for so many of us. I'd just like to say that we should not jump to any major conclusions we have no information about and that this is the work of those higher up in CNET and should not be directly connected with the Gamespot staff. I wish Jeff the best of luck in whatever he's going to do and wish Gamespot the best of luck with all these quiters, subscription cancellers and angry users. Thanks for all the excellent work you did at Gamespot Jeff, we'll all remember you.

Main Source: Joystiq.com

Other Sources with Rumors: Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Forumopolis

Editorials on the Subject: The Big "News", "Maybe This Was All A Misunderstanding?", CorruptSpot?, In Gamespot I Trust No More, Gerstmann in Retro-Perspective, Jeff Gerstmann, As A Fellow Critic, Gerstmann Controversy (Part 1), What It Comes Down To, Here We Go Again, Trigames.NET Podcast Episode 73- Jeff Gerstmann (Requires 58.8MB mp3 download), A Lament For What Has Been Lost, Know Thine Enemy, Ok Gamespot. I Will Stay Here In The Trenches With You.